By Shane Rattenbury

Most of my twenties was spent studying at uni, working part-time, and training as hard as I could as a triathlete to fulfil my dream of representing Australia.

Shane Rattenbury admitted to taking MDMA at a party once.Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

Then, one day, at a party with trusted friends, I made a quick decision: I took ecstasy (MDMA). I didn't enjoy the effect it had on me, and it became an experience I didn't want to repeat.

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At the time, I naively thought that, like most young people, I was invincible. By sheer luck, it was not a dodgy pill. At the time, there was very little information going around about just how dangerous some of these pills can be.

In recent months, we’ve seen too many young people dying tragically at music festivals nationwide. Since September 2018 there have been five deaths caused by suspected drug overdose at New South Wales festivals alone, with the victims aged between 19 and 23. These tragic situations have brought the discussion around drug use and harm reduction to the forefront of public debate.

The discussion around these issues has come a long way since that experiment of mine back in the 90’s. What hasn’t changed in the intervening decades is the disproportionate focus on a law and order approach to drug use. Despite this bias, or perhaps because of it, we continue to see deaths, overdoses, accidents, illness and addiction in our communities. That’s why the Greens have advocated for a new approach to drug policy that puts a greater focus on harm reduction strategies.

We have to accept that despite all the efforts on enforcement and education, some young people still take illicit drugs.

The right thing to do is to try to minimise the tragic harm and deaths that are occurring. Clearly, we cannot encourage people to make safer choices unless we actually engage with them. This means realising a new approach. This is where pill testing comes in.

Led by the Greens, Canberra was the first Australian jurisdiction to realise a pill testing trial. Canberra is proof positive that pill testing works—and can potentially save lives.

The results of the Canberra trial showed that pill testing makes festivals safer for those who attend, allowing them to have a great day out and come home safe.

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Pill testing has been available in many places in Europe for decades, where results show that the majority of people overwhelmingly choose not to consume their drugs when alerted to the risks involved. Contrary to encouraging drug use, pill testing equips people with the tools to make informed decisions to enable people to take responsibility for their own safety.

Results also give health experts and law enforcement a better understanding of the drugs in circulation, helping prevent dangerous substances spreading uncontrolled.

When lives are on the line, we need to be guided by evidence. And the evidence tells us that pill testing saves lives. So, we can introduce a policy that has proven benefits, or we can be remembered by our failure to act.

The Greens will continue to advocate strongly for pill testing and other harm minimisation measures in the ACT. The ACT Greens believe we should also consider pill testing outside of music festivals, furthering reduce the potential harm from drug use, as is the case in countries like the Netherlands.

The reality is people do experiment with drugs. They shouldn't die as a result.

Shane Rattenbury is the leader of the ACT Greens and Drug Law Reform spokesperson.